Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: 100-Man Gate (2)
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021
Chapter 7. 100-Man Gate (2)
3.
Most Mystic Gates didn't have any standout physical features.
The only way to distinguish their difficulty was by the color of the portal that appeared when you got close.
However, there were exceptions.
Gates like the 100-Man Mystic Gate—the highest difficulty ones possible at their rank—did have a distinctive trait.
"It's definitely golden."
A faint golden glow emanated from the wooden frame that served as the Mystic Gate's doorway.
The moment they spotted that golden light, the adventurers gathered around had their eyes light up.
'It's real.'
They had all come here believing it was real.
There was no reason for the top ten merchant groups they belonged to would joke about something like this.
'A real 100-Man Gate.'
But thinking something was true and seeing it become reality right in front of your eyes were two entirely different things.
Above all, a 100-Man Mystic Gate was like a gift from the heavens to any adventurer.
"Wow, it really is. I've never seen one of these before."
Even Longko, a 5th Circle B-Rank adventurer who had just confirmed the Mystic Gate, didn't have a title for conquering a 100-Man Mystic Gate among his achievements.
And that was the norm.
Only adventurers at 2nd Circle or below could enter a red-rated Mystic Gate.
No matter how talented an adventurer was, once they hit 3rd Circle or higher, they never even got the chance to challenge a 100-Man Gate.
If anything, the more talented you were, the harder it was to seize that opportunity.
Talented adventurers leaped over the walls of circle advancement far too easily and quickly.
They shot straight to 2nd Circle, then 3rd Circle in one go.
And no one would deliberately pass up a chance to advance their circles just for a title like that.
To the adventurers assembled here, it was as if the heavens themselves had handed them this chance.
The looks in their eyes, now facing that opportunity, went beyond mere shining—they blazed fiercely.
The greed of adventurers with treasure within reach had ignited.
That was the moment.
"Ah."
Clink!
Longko tapped the sword at his waist with his hand and spoke.
"My stomach hurts. Should I just smash it?"
At those words, the blazing atmosphere around him chilled as if doused by a raging downpour.
'As expected.'
The only exception was one person: El Pam.
He alone regarded Longko with a cool, detached gaze.
He had known.
'Just as I predicted.'
Why Longko and his companions had come here.
On the surface, they were here to protect promising challengers—adventurers like him.
But that was just the surface reason, nothing more.
The real reason they were here was to make it clear to the adventurers.
'Don't try any funny business.'
You didn't come here because you received some great opportunity or divine favor.
You're here to securely and safely extract that unique-grade item from inside.
So don't get greedy.
Don't go after the unique item or stir up pointless greed and put yourselves in danger.
And this was for the adventurers' sake as well.
'Any funny business, and it all goes to hell.'
A gate that allowed 100 entrants meant it was overflowing with monsters so immense that all 100 had to unite as one to take them down.
But the people gathered here numbered 100, and though skilled, they weren't a single team.
There were ten teams in total, and even those teams weren't perfectly unified internally.
In such a situation, if greed took over?
The outcome was obvious.
'We can't afford to fail. If we're going to fail, better to just die.'
The worst case wasn't just the situation turning dire—it was when adventurers tried to bail at what seemed like a safe moment, squandering the chance to obtain the unique-grade item entirely.
In any case, Longko's single remark flipped the mood on its head.
The adventurers' eyes changed. From eyes brimming with anticipation to eyes tinged with fear.
Longko, satisfied with that, said,
"Alright, then. Let's decide the entry order. We'll draw lots."
4.
The moment adventurers crossed the threshold of a Mystic Gate's portal, they felt like they were walking underwater.
A pressing sensation, unable to move quickly, like something was choking the breath from their lungs.
Enduring that feeling and pressing toward the light ahead would eventually bring a new sight into view.
And adventurers savored that instant.
Nothing excited them more than the thrill of embarking on an entirely new adventure in an entirely new place.
The adventurers crossing into the 100-Man Mystic Gate were no different.
"...It's a field."
Moments ago, the dark forest devoid of any light had transformed into a vast plain filled with reeds towering far taller than any person.
The world itself had changed, and the adventurers' hearts pounded at the sight.
Dibo was no exception.
'I'm here. In a 100-Man Gate. As an adventurer.'
Just days ago, he had been treated like a slave, far removed from any notion of adventuring. Now, he had stepped into adventurers' dreams.
For Dibo, whose dream and goal had always been to become an adventurer, it would have been strange if his heart didn't tremble with excitement.
"Don't pull any stunts."
But his heated emotions cooled rapidly at the cold voice from behind—Kiri's words.
She was utterly frigid, beyond words.
And that was the essence of the Cygnus Knights.
Beings entirely separate from adventurers.
That was why.
The adventurers who had already crossed into the gate ahead of time turned their attention to her the moment she appeared.
Of course, it wasn't favorable attention.
'The Gapor Merchant Group ultimately backed out, huh.'
'Backing out is fine, but handing the spot to some knight trainee?'
'Rootless as expected.'
From the adventurers' perspective, Cygnus Knight trainees were prickly existences in many ways.
It wasn't because the trainees were lofty or superior to adventurers.
Like dogs and cats, adventurers and the Cygnus Knights simply couldn't communicate properly.
More precisely, from the Cygnus Knights' viewpoint—guardians of Maple World's peace—adventurers who might cause trouble at any moment didn't look kindly upon them.
Of course, the Knights knew that. There were far more good adventurers than bad. They maintained good relations with the decent ones.
But it was undeniable that bad adventurers weren't few and far between.
On the flip side, plenty of adventurers chafed at the Cygnus Knights' insistence on justice and propriety.
Hence, the dog-and-cat dynamic.
Necessary, but bound to cause issues if forced together.
'Still, a knight trainee won't be a pushover.'
Moreover, the Cygnus Knights' strength surpassed that of adventurers—and then some.
In normal circumstances, elsewhere, a few adventurers would have already picked a fight by now.
But this was different.
'We'll stay quiet for now.'
Given the stage they were on, no one here was foolish enough to stir up needless trouble.
That was why everyone had gathered together in the first place.
Normally, they'd trust their skills and go solo, but not here.
Even solo operators needed consensus and notice before acting.
"That's the last one."
And the moment all ten parties had crossed over, the leaders of each party immediately gathered to talk.
"The boss isn't a boss anymore."
Naturally, Kiri represented the Gapor Merchant Group party, while El Pam and Dibo simply watched from behind.
"Boss, how's it feel?"
But El Pam harbored no real dissatisfaction with that fact.
"Boss?"
No, it wasn't dissatisfaction—it was indifference.
"What are you doing?"
El Pam sniffed the air a few times, then dropped flat to the ground, pressing his ear to the earth.
"Dibo."
He stood up and said,
"Yes."
"Prepare to run."
That was the moment.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The ground began to shake violently, as if an earthquake had struck.
"Pigs!"
One adventurer shouted at the same time.
"Ribbon Pigs! They're coming!"
5.
"Ribbon Pigs! They're coming!"
The instant those words rang out, every adventurer's face drained to a pallid white.
Dibo was no different.
"Ribbon Pigs?"
Ribbon Pigs.
The name alone sounded utterly ridiculous.
But anyone who aspired to be an adventurer, or had even studied the basics, couldn't dare laugh upon hearing it.
A pig two meters long, with red ribbon-like patterns around its body, was no different from a beast of prey.
Moreover, Ribbon Pigs were far more aggressive than most beasts.
They'd charge at full force even at something as small as a fly in front of them.
What made them even more terrifying was that Ribbon Pigs never moved alone.
"They're coming!"
The scene unfolding before them now was proof.
"At least a thousand of them!"
A thousand!
That insane horde of Ribbon Pigs—pigs with red ribbon patterns around their necks—charged straight at the cluster of adventurers.
Rumble rumble!
Kicking up an enormous quake as they came.
"Damn it, I can't see them!"
All while hiding their vast numbers in the reed forest.
"Over there?"
"A thousand? You sure?"
"How far?"
It was a moment when panic was only natural.
"Everyone, get your heads in the game."
But in that instant, the 100 adventurers didn't hesitate. Anyone who would have hesitated wouldn't have made it here.
And they all gave the same answer.
"Everyone! Scatter!"
The exact same answer.
No exceptions.
'As expected of the carefully selected elites.'
It was the right call.
Rumble rumble!
'Against a Ribbon Pig horde like that, there's no way warriors can hold the line in this situation.'
Normally, when facing a monster horde, warriors—specifically shield-bearing ones with tanking skills—would form the front line to hold them off.
But that only worked against things like Orange Mushrooms.
To hold against Ribbon Pigs, a warrior's skill had to be exceptional.
Of course, there were certainly warriors among those gathered here capable of that level.
'Lines live or die by coordination.'
But not everyone was, so forming a tanking line would inevitably leave gaps.
It would backfire spectacularly.
'No need to force it.'
Crucially, the adventurers here had no reason to fight the Ribbon Pig horde in this area.
They had nothing to defend, and hadn't even fully grasped the situation.
'Especially not against Ribbon Pigs.'
Besides, Ribbon Pigs weren't particularly valuable monsters.
So what was left?
Just run.
Kiri was no different.
She shouted,
"Everyone, follow me!"
She carved a path ahead, and her companions followed without hesitation.
"Kiri!"
There were only two exceptions.
"Those two are gone!"
6.
The reed forest had devolved into utter pandemonium with the arrival of the Ribbon Pig horde.
"Boss!"
Amid the chaos, Dibo and El Pam were crossing the reed forest, evading the Ribbon Pig horde.
"Is it really okay for just the two of us to slip away?"
In a direction completely opposite from Kiri's group.
"Is this fine?"
From Dibo's perspective, worry was inevitable.
To his concern, El Pam replied,
"It's fine. They won't waste a thought on us two being gone."
"A-ah, no, Boss. That's not what I..."
Of course, it wasn't the answer Dibo wanted.
'Against Ribbon Pigs, those monster bastards—how are two of us supposed to handle them?'
Dibo's worry was about the Ribbon Pigs.
Against a pack-hunting Ribbon Pig, party coordination was more crucial than ever.
Of course, El Pam saw it differently.
'Ribbon Pigs are no problem.'
For him, the Ribbon Pig horde posed no threat.
'At the level of adventurers here.'
The same went for the others.
A tough, threatening monster for sure, but the adventurers gathered here weren't ordinary.
Of course, there were boss monsters and other dangers lurking.
'They won't die.'
But not to the point of total annihilation.
'They might not catch the boss, but they can escape.'
Veteran adventurers knew how to run.
That was the problem.
'But this Mystic Gate has never been cleared even once.'
In El Pam's memory, a place where wipeouts shouldn't happen, yet not a single survivor had ever returned.
That fact in itself wasn't a mystery.
The reason was already clear.
That was why El Pam moved separately.
"Dibo."
"Yes?"
"From now on, don't trust anyone."
"Huh?"
"There's someone here planning to troll."